Steel Cut Oats

there was way to much candy laying around where i work. so i decided to get rid of it. by shoving it into my face.

all the people i work with are thin. and yet, they MUST have candy. every day. this made me start thinking about people and food. my thin friends eat whatever they want. chips, cheeseburgers, cake.....so why cant i? when i indulge in that stuff i dont just stay the same weight. i GAIN weight. so what is the difference?

do they burn more calories than i do? these friends dont work out or go to the gym....so are they just more active in their daily life? do they take the stairs instead of the elevator? is that really enough to compensate for the cheetos and hersheys?

or is it just that when they indulge they are satisfied after only about 200 cals worth of junk? i am never satisfied with just a little junk. ever. never ever. its hard not to get angry about this. i want to be able to indulge, be satisfied, and be thin! my landslide into self-pity is surely triggered by the fact that this whole month will be a complete write off. i will end this month the same weight as i ended last month. losing weight is hard.

so is being fat. what would i rather have a "hard time" doing? losing weight or being fat? if anything was ever *worth it* it is this. losing weight is worth it. i have to keep going. although this month was a wash when it comes to the scale, there were some pretty great things that happened.

first, i discovered the wonders of steel cut oats. they have a ton of fiber and protein. they are so easy to make and keep well in the fridge or freezer. and i cook them in the crock-pot! i have made apple cinnamon steel cut oats, cranberry walnut steel cut oats, and pumpkin pie steel cut oats. you cook them all exactly the same.

STEEL CUT OATS:

1. coat a crock pot with cooking spray.

2. dump all the ingredients (EXCEPT THE TOPPINGS) into the crock-pot and stir.

3. cover and cook on low 6 hours.

4. turn off the crock-pot and let cool 1 hour.

5. stir up the oats and put into individual (1 cup) containers.

6. sprinkle on the toppings.

7. freeze or refrigerate. when you are ready to eat, just nuke them in the microwave.

these are the ingredients for the various types i have made and loved. they all make about 12 1-cup servings.

APPLE CINNAMON OATS INGREDIENTS:

3 apples, minced in food processor

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water

3 cups low fat milk (or almond milk)

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp brown sugar

1/8 tsp sea salt

Topping: 1 tbsp slivered almonds on each serving.

CRANBERRY WALN UT OATS INGREDIENTS:

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water

3 cups low fat milk

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Topping: 1 tsp dried cranberries & 1 tsp chopped walnuts on each serving.

PUMPKIN PIE OATS INGREDIENTS:

1 cup steel cut oats

1 15-oz can 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)

3 cups water

3 cups low fat milk

2 tbsp agave nectar

1/8 tsp salt

Topping: 1 tsp chopped pecans & maybe a little truvia if you like it sweeter.

another super great thing that happened is that my husband got this amazing idea. he would cook one night a week. he doesnt cook. never. not ever. but on wednesday night, there we were....sitting on the couch covered in cookbooks. i tagged a few healthy & easy recipes and he flipped through them looking for one he wanted to try. he picked orange chicken. it was one of the more difficult recipes. i was fully prepared for a disaster and was making a mental list of the "healthiest" fast-food options in case dinner was a total bust.

sunday night, he stepped into the kitchen, prepped all his ingredients ahead of time, and then got to work. i gave him a little space and watched from a safe distance. he was measuring, slicing, chopping....grabbing oranges from the fruit bowl and then playfully tossing them from one hand to another...umm....what was happening? was he having fun? then about an hour later i was lying on the couch watching black beauty (i love me some horse movies!) and dinner was being cooked for me. i cant remember the last time this has happened. i was loving it! and then....an unmistakable smell entered the living room....and it wasnt the smell of smoke that i had kinda been expecting....it was the smell of *deliciousness*....and thats the first time it crossed my mind that dinner might actually be edible.

when he called me to the table, this was waiting for me.

orange chicken with scallions, garlic, craisens.....brown rice...and steamed broccoli!

i took a bite....it was AMAZING. my husband...is....a....good....COOK! i looked up at him and he was smiling. he knew he had rocked it. with his eyes still squinted by his grin he said, "that was fun", winked at me, and took a big bite.

all i wanted to know was, "so....what are you making next week??"